There will be a lot of new faces in new places under center in the Sun Belt next season. Five quarterbacks from the conference declared for the NFL Draft following the year, while another five starters transferred out. On top of that, the Sun Belt 2023 Player of the Year, Jordan McCloud, left his Sun Belt home for another, spurning the JMU Dukes for the Texas State Bobcats.
The swift departures left a power vacuum amongst the conference’s quarterback hierarchy. As all the moving parts begin to settle, let’s examine where they stack up in our preseason 2024 Sun Belt QB Rankings.
Sun Belt 2024 QB Rankings
14) Hunter Herring, ULM
With starting quarterback Jiya Wright preparing for the NFL Draft, junior Hunter Herring has the most experience with ULM, playing in two games, completing 16-30 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 68 yards on 13 attempts.
There’s likely a competition in store with New Mexico QB Aidan Armenta transferring in.
13) Grant Williams, Old Dominion Monarchs
After transferring in from Fordham before last season, Grant Williams started 11 games for the Monarchs, throwing for 2,149 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 18 picks.
With not much competition transferring in yet, the junior is set to take the reins again in 2024, looking to improve upon ODU’s 6-7 finish last year.
12) Chandler Fields, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
The Ragin’ Cajuns were dealt a serious blow when Zeon Chriss transferred to Houston after a dazzling sophomore season. That loss puts them low in our Sun Belt QB Rankings, but they’ll have some help climbing it.
Chandler Fields is set to return for a sixth season, all with the Ragin’ Cajuns. He has 2,314 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight picks in 28 appearances over five years, with 1,069 yards passing and seven touchdowns in relief of Chriss last season.
11) Will Crowder, Troy Trojans
After six seasons with the Troy Trojans, Gunnar Watson will likely be playing on Sundays later this year. That leaves a huge void for the Trojans under the center, and they’ll have former West Virginia quarterback Will Crowder to fill.
Colloquially known as “Goose,” Crowder appeared in four games in two years with the Mountaineers, but he was 8-8 on his passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. He went 9-13 for 94 yards and a score last year.
10) Bishop Davenport, South Alabama Jaguars
USA will be without Carter Bradley for the first time in two seasons as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Utah State quarterback Bishop Davenport transferred in, a sophomore transfer that appeared in three games for the Aggies, passing for 245 yards, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
Sophomore returner Gio Lopez will also compete for the role after playing in five games, passing for 475 yards, four touchdowns, and two picks.
9) Zach Gipson, Georgia State Panthers
After four seasons under center for the Panthers, Darren Grainger is off to pursue professional opportunities. Former Akron (2019-2021) and Georgia Tech (2022-2023) QB Zach Gipson is set to take over for Grainger.
In 23 career games, he’s thrown for 3,060 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
8) Dexter Williams II, Georgia Southern Eagles
The Sun Belt’s leader in passing yards in 2023, Davis Brin, exhausted his eligibility and is off to try his luck in the pros.
Georgia Southern head coach Clay Helton found his replacement in the transfer portal with Indiana quarterback Dexter Williams II, a Georgia native who played four seasons with the Hoosiers. Injuries marred his time there, appearing in just four games and completing 13 of 38 passes for 184 yards with two touchdowns.
7) Ethan Vasko, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
One of the biggest losses of any Sun Belt team is Grayson McCall taking his talents to the NC State Wolfpack for his final season.
MORE: 2024 Sun Belt Head Coach Rankings
Coastal coach Tim Beck is returning sophomore Ethan Vasko after he appeared in eight games last season, throwing for 779 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. Beck also secured former Michigan State starting quarterback Noah Kim to add competition.
6) Braylon Braxton/Mitch Griffis, Marshall Thundering Herd
Marshall arguably upgraded in the transfer portal with two big gets after losing Cam Fancher to FAU.
Braylon Braxton is headed to Huntington after three seasons with the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, and Mitch Griffis joins him after four seasons at Wake Forest. Both started sparingly at their last stops and will compete against each other for the starting spot at Marshall.
5) Tate Rodemaker, Southern Miss Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles have last year’s starter, Billy Wiles, still on the roster, but he’s likely playing backup after Southern Miss coach Will Hall brought in Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker.
An occasional starter with the Seminoles, he primarily played backup to starter Jordan Travis during his four seasons there (2020-2023). With one year left to play, he’s looking to make the most of it in Hattiesburg.
4) Dylan Morris, James Madison Dukes
With last year’s starter, Jordan McCloud, staying in the conference to play for the Texas State Bobcats, new coach Bob Chesney needed a contingency plan under center.
He found a solid one with Washington’s Dylan Morris heading to Harrisonburg fresh off a National Championship appearance with the Huskies. He sat behind Michael Penix Jr. last year but was the starter in 2020 and 2021, earning All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention in 2020.
3) Joey Aguilar, Appalachian State Mountaineers
Joey Aguilar started his career at Diablo Valley Community College before taking over for Ryan Burger early last year. He didn’t look back, earning Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year while setting records for the Mountaineers.
He set the program record for touchdowns in a season (33) while passing for the second most yards in the conference (3,757). Texas transfer Charles Wright is around, but the starting job seems safe with the senior Aguilar.
2) Jaylen Raynor, Arkansas State Red Wolves
Jaylen Raynor bucked the trend of true freshmen quarterbacks needing time to develop after winning Sun Belt 2023 Freshman of the Year. It was the first time a true first-year player at any position won the award since 2007.
He passed for 2,543 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven picks while rushing for 308 yards and five scores. With other QBs aging or leaving the conference, Raynor is primed to lead the Sun Belt QB Rankings for years to come.
1) Jordan McCloud, Texas State Bobcats
Jordan McCloud lit the conference on fire last season, winning Sun Belt Player of the Year after passing for 3,657 yards with a league-leading 35 touchdown passes to 10 picks, with another 276 yards and eight scores rushing.
KEEP READING: 2024 Sun Belt Power Rankings
On his fourth school, the former USF (2019-2020), Arizona (2021-2022), and JMU (2023) starter decided to not just stay in the Sun Belt but team up with the conference’s top-scoring offense in 2023, the Texas State Bobcats.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!